2026 Edition · Top 10
Joel Osteen
Lead Pastor · Lakewood Church · Houston, TX, United States
Joel Osteen reaches 37.58M followers on personal accounts across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, ranking #3 on REACHRIGHT's 2026 Pastor Influence 100. The largest single audience is Facebook, at 30.29M followers.
Score Breakdown
Personal accounts only · data collected August 15, 2026 · methodology
Platform Presence
What counts
Four platforms are scored: YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Only accounts the pastor operates count here. Church-branded accounts are scored separately in the Church Influence 100.
X (listed, not scored): @JoelOsteen
About Joel Osteen
Joel Osteen is senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, one of the largest congregations in the United States. His father, John Osteen, founded Lakewood in 1959; Joel became pastor in October 1999 after his father's death that January.
Osteen is the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers, including Your Best Life Now, Become a Better You, and I Declare. Lakewood's weekend services broadcast nationally on television, a platform built under his father and expanded during Joel's tenure into one of the most watched religious programs in the country.
Osteen's online reach runs primarily through Facebook. His page carries 30,288,159 followers, more than three-quarters of his 37,576,159 total reach across platforms. His YouTube channel holds 3.83 million subscribers, up 3.2 percent this year.
The Church Behind the Platform
Lead Pastor
Lakewood Church
Houston, TX, United States
Lakewood Church ranks #25 in the Church Influence 100 with an Influence Score of 72.9. See the church profile.
A personal following is a trust account. People follow a name, hear a voice, and decide what to believe about the church behind it. That is a weight to carry well, not a scoreboard to win.
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Joel Osteen: Quick Answers
Who is Joel Osteen?
Joel Osteen is senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, one of the largest congregations in the United States. His father, John Osteen, founded Lakewood in 1959; Joel became pastor in October 1999 after his father's death that January.
How many followers does Joel Osteen have?
As of June 2026, Joel Osteen reaches 37.58M followers across personal accounts: 3.83M YouTube subscribers, 3M Instagram followers, 458K TikTok followers, 30.29M Facebook followers. These figures count accounts the pastor operates, not the church's official accounts.
What church does Joel Osteen pastor?
Joel Osteen serves as Lead Pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, TX. Lakewood Church also ranks #25 on the 2026 REACHRIGHT Church Influence 100.
Is Joel Osteen still the pastor of Lakewood Church?
At the June 2026 data collection, Lakewood Church listed Joel Osteen as Lead Pastor. We report leadership exactly as each church publishes it, and the index is rebuilt every year. Check the church's own site for the current staff listing.
Where does Joel Osteen rank among the most influential pastors online?
Joel Osteen ranks #3 on the 2026 REACHRIGHT Pastor Influence 100 with an Influence Score of 79.4 out of 100, scored on audience reach (50 percent), growth velocity (30 percent), and platform breadth (20 percent).
How fast is Joel Osteen's audience growing?
The YouTube channel Joel Osteen runs grew 3 percent in the twelve months before June 2026, reaching 3.83M subscribers. That measured growth scores 12.7 out of 100 on the velocity pillar, which is 30 percent of the Influence Score.
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